Martin Whitmarsh returns to F1 with Aston Martin
The former boss of McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh, is making his return to Formula 1. He takes on a new role at Aston Martin as the CEO of the British team.
He is one of the biggest figures in Formula 1. For 25 years with McLaren, he worked with the most famous drivers and even helped win world championship titles with Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, and Lewis Hamilton. After leaving the team in 2014 to focus on something else, he finally returns to F1 as the Managing Director of Aston Martin Performance Technologies.
A role that allows him to supervise his team, but also the means to use the brand’s technological advances in other industries. In short, he is not here to joke around and plans to put the team in the right conditions to win races. He will take on his role on October 1st. In a statement, Aston Martin and Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll said they are pleased to see Whitmarsh join the team.
« I am very pleased to announce that Martin Whitmarsh will be joining us as the Chief Executive Officer of the new Aston Martin Performance Technologies group from 1st October 2021. He will take on senior leadership responsibilities and support me in defining Aston Martin and its subsidiaries’ new strategic direction. Martin has had a long and successful career, especially in the high-profile world of Formula 1. His expertise makes him the ideal person to work with me and our management team to lead and inspire our staff towards future successes, on and off the track.
The main person involved, Martin Whitmarsh, is eager to regain a major role in F1. According to him, Aston Martin was the best possible choice to return to this sport.
« I am delighted to have been appointed by Lawrence Stroll as the CEO of the new Aston Martin Performance Technologies group. I have known and admired Lawrence for many years, and have always been extremely impressed by his outstanding business acumen and seemingly boundless ambition. I know what it takes to win in Formula 1, and, inspired by Lawrence’s leadership and supported by the team’s skills, passion, and determination, I intend to do everything in my power to help the team.
In this statement, Otmar Szafnauer slipped in a few words against Whitmarsh. He is confident about the team’s future with Martin by his side.
« Martin Whitmarsh is an experienced and skilled business leader, who has achieved a lot of success for McLaren in Formula 1, and I am very excited to work with him. His role will be new to establish and lead an exciting new brand extension: Aston Martin Performance Technologies. Our ambitions are to win in everything we do. Our goal of winning in F1 remains unchanged.
